Preseason Update from SC Observatory
While we are still in the teeth of the rainy season, work hasn’t stopped at SC Observatory. In preparation for the upcoming clear sky season we have been making a number of improvements. 4 Scope Array The new fork mount arrived from Officina Stellare and has been crane lifted into place inside our eastermost clamshell […]
Aerial Tour of SC Observatory
This is a short rainy-season aerial view of our observatory grounds in central Thailand. The building with the cone-shaped roof is our control room, where several computers run the telescopes, mounts, cameras, focusers and filter wheels in each of the domes. The smaller 12′ dome nearest the camera houses an Officina Stellare RiFAST 400mm telescope […]
Control Room Redesign
Now that the 16′ dome has been moved from atop of the control room to the new concrete pad on the east end of the observatory grounds, it’s time for an upgrade. The control room has served multiple purposes. It currently houses three laptop computers (each controlling a separate telescope system), a desktop computer (for […]
Observatory Redesign 2017
Moving Day for the 16′ Astrohaven Clamshell Dome
Pinched Optics Service Call
For the entire 2016-2017 season we had been fighting optical issues with our RiLA 600mm telescope. The scope is a mechanical and optical masterpiece from Officina Stellare, capable of incredible contrast and detail. However, as a result of moving the telescope to install a new mount, and the daily high temperatures in Thailand (often in […]
Astrobin Image of the Day
The Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443) is a supernova remnant approximately 5,000 light years from Earth. IC 444 to the upper left is a reflection nebula. Processed using PixInsight and Photoshop, this image received recognition as Astrobin’s Image of the Day – 26 Feb 2017. View complete image details here
Satellites Invade the Horsehead
In November, 2016 we were imaging the Horsehead/Flame region in Orion when we noticed something very unusual. As the individual 4 minute Luminance images were taken, we were seeing what appeared to be satellite trails running in almost the exact same location from frame to frame. This went on for more than 3 hours. Previous […]
Remote Texas Telescope
Our Planewave 17″ telescope, once the centerpiece of SC Observatory, has made it to its new home in Fort Davis, Texas after a stop in West Virginia for testing. This f/6.8 telescope will be mounted on an Astrophysics 1100GTO mount and is paired with an FLI PL16803 camera. The setup will be remotely operated with […]